A520.6.5, Team Roles_Reyes,Cassandra

Write a blog entry on task-facilitating and relationship-building roles. In your blog, reflect upon your understanding of how these roles enhance team performance.

       Consider how you generally relate as a team-member.

       Do you actively engage your team to accomplish its mission?

       Do you work to improve the team cohesion and collaboration?

Task facilitating roles are roles that help a team accomplish its goals, outcomes and objectives. Task facilitating roles are important as they help a team effectively and efficiently achieve the goals it has put before them. There are nine task facilitating roles that assist with a team staying on track towards its objectives. It is important that there are a few members on a team that are task oriented, to always ensure that the important topics are being discussed that will in turn help the team to solve their issue and make them successful in achieving those goals. The most common task facilitating roles are; direction giving, information seeking, information giving, elaborating, urging, monitoring, process analyzing, reality testing, enforcing and summarizing.

            In addition to task facilitating roles, relationship building roles are also imperative to a team’s success as these roles emphasize the interpersonal aspects of the team. The main goal of relationship building roles is to ensure that the team is able to interact with one another, trust and enjoy each other as well as the efforts of the team as well as maintain a friendly and open team dynamic. Relationship building roles are most important when team tension is high, team dynamic or team performance is decreasing, and when there is negative feedback or disagreements between team members. The most common relationship building roles are; supporting, harmonizing, tension relieving, confronting, energizing, developing, consensus building, and empathizing.

            In my experiences with teams that I have been a part of, I do feel as though I actively engage in my team to accomplish its mission. I feel I accomplish this as I do my best to engage with each individual on the team to ensure that I have a professional relationship with them so there is a level of trust and respect. I also do my best to interact with the leader or manager to also share this one on one relationship where I am able to both give and receive constructive criticism. I do my best to be honest and contribute to the team’s strengths by thinking outside of the box and welcoming the ideas and suggestions of others.

When it is time to listen, I make sure that I am hearing everyone out and take into consideration all suggestions everyone has made without bias. When it is time to speak, I do my best to make sure that I am providing a clear picture or description of the information I am trying to get across to ensure there is no confusion in the message I am delivering. If there is a timeline to get something done, whether it is as a team or as an individual, I ensure that part is done on time and to the best of my ability with all of the necessary information I may have needed to accomplish my task. I think a little bit of each of these things, allows for me to effectively contribute to my teams success and to actively engage in my team in order for them to help them achieve their mission.

            I also feel as though I do assist in helping my team improve team cohesion and collaboration. To accomplish this I do my best to try and balance both task facilitating and relationship building roles. If I am sitting in a meeting where my team seems to have strayed off course or off topic, from the issue we are trying to accomplish, I try to bring this to the attention of the team so we all ensure that we come full circle in realizing the actual task or issue at hand, so it can be addressed and a conclusion can be made. I also do my best to make sure that all team members are engaging in the conversation and relaying their ideas and suggestions to the team. If I notice that someone is quiet, or seems to be a bit shy to speak, I ask what their thoughts are, on the suggestions at hand and if they would like to add anything to the conversation. I noticed that this usually opens up the quieter or shier individuals to speak and be heard.

            I think a balance of task facilitating and relationship building roles is important for all individuals as well as for the team leader or manager, as each team and team members are different. One should be able to zoom in when necessary to be able to see the details of what is being discussed, however they must also be able to zoom out to notice thing such as, if the team is still on topic and whether or not all members have contributed to the conversation. A balance of these two roles allows for individuals to challenge themselves to recognize both the task at hand and the team dynamic in order to ensure the team’s success.

As the text states, “without both task-facilitating and relationship building roles, teams struggle to perform effectively. Some members must ensure that the team accomplishes its tasks, while others must ensure that members remain bonded together interpersonally. These are usually not the same individuals, and at certain points in time, different roles may become more dominant than others. The key is to have a balance between task-oriented roles and relationship-building roles displayed in the team. The downfall of many teams is that they become unidimensional—for example, they emphasize task accomplishment exclusively—and do not give equal attention to both types of roles.” 

         References

Whetton, D. (n.d.). Developing Management Skills. (8thed.).

A520.5.3RB Forrester's Empowerment_Reyes,Cassandra

The article defines empowerment as a “tantalizing notion that seems to offer organizations the promise of more focused, energetic, and creative work from employees.” (Forrester, 2000) The article addresses how empowerment programs seem to run out of steam and discusses six ways on how managers have drained their own empowerment efforts.

            Precipitous Power mandates – “Addresses the fact that even when the decision to change the power balance is a deliberate one, its implementation may be too fast.”  (Forrester, 2000) The article states that power that is impulsive actually takes power away from everyone involved.

            Overreliance on a narrow psychological concept – The article states that empowerment tactics are designed to “alter the belief systems of employees about their own power, to increase feelings of self-efficacy, and to tap into employees' intrinsic motivation to do their work.” (Forrester, 2000) It also states that psychological empowerment provides less leverage to organizations as they have a committed capacity to influence the inner workings of employees.

            One size fits all empowerment – The article states that empowerment tends to fail because it fails to differentiate amongst employees. Not to differentiate empowerment is unrealistic and is imperative to the success of an organization

            Negligence of the needs of power sharers – The article lists the following needs of power sharers that should be taken into consideration. They are; control, achievement and recognition needs as well as subjective attributions.

            Piecemeal approaches – The article states the importance of managers taking the time to make changes in their system to enable empowerment to succeed. “Empowerment programs sometimes founder because they are made up of piecemeal actions that are positive in themselves but can't succeed without addressing the larger system.” (Forrester, 2000)

            Distortion of accountability – The article states how important accountability is in an organization and how it can reflect performance and employee outcomes.

            The article also addresses the following suggestions in achieving empowerment and how to make it successful. They are;

1.      Enlarge power

2.       Invest in building employees

3.      Knowledge, skills and expertise

4.      Commit to the organization

5.      Provide access to employees to build new relationships

6.      Increase employees capacity to produce results

7.      Differentiate amongst employees

8.      Support power sharers

9.      Build fitting systems

10.  Focus on results. 

            The textbook defines empowerment as providing freedom for people to do successfully what they want to do, rather than getting them to do what you want them to do. As the text states “To empower means to enable; it means to help people develop a sense of self-confidence; it means to help people overcome feelings of powerlessness or helplessness; it means to energize people to take action; it means to mobilize intrinsic motivation to accomplish a task.” (Whetton 8^th Ed) I think one of the important factors the text discusses is the difference between power and empowerment.

Power is discussed as the following;

1.      External source

2.      Ultimately, few people have it

3.      The capacity to have others do what you want

4.      To get more implies taking it away from someone else

5.      Leads to competition

Empowerment is discussed as the following;

1.      Internal source

2.      Ultimately, everyone can have it

3.      The capacity to have others do what they want

4.      To get more does not affect how much others have

5.      Leads to cooperation

The five core dimensions of empowerment are also discussed and listed as an imperative part of empowerment. They are listed as follows;

1.      Self-efficacy - A sense of personal competence

2.      Self-determination - A sense of personal choice

3.      Personal consequence - A sense of having impact

4.      Meaning- A sense of value in activity

5.      Trust - A sense of security

The prescription of empowerment was also addressed as to what can be done to obtain as well as maintain empowerment in an organization. They are;

1.      Vision and Values

2.      Personal mastery

3.      Model

4.      Provide support

5.      Emotional arousal

6.      Provide information

7.      Provide resources

8.      Connect to outcomes

9.      Create confidence

I believe that both the article and the textbook touch upon a variety of ways to produce great empowerment results in an organization. I think it is imperative that empowerment is looked at in a variety of ways and angles to ensure that it is being successfully implemented and maintained in both team and organizational environments. I believe that without touching upon many of the suggestions and issues that the article and text discussed, then empowerment in an organization is more likely to fail.

It is inevitable that issues of empowerment in an organization or team will arise at some point in time, however by having an open mind and reviewing what can be done to achieve success of empowerment in an organization, I believe that the chances of failure decrease, as the issues are being paid close attention to, to ensure the success of the individual, the team as well as the organization.

                    References

Forrester, R. (2000). Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 14(3), 67-80.

Whetton, D. (n.d.). Developing Management Skills. (8thed.).

A520 4.3RB Motivation Beyond Money, Reyes, Cassandra

Yes, we all like to be paid, but money is not among the three most important reasons why we work. Andy Mulholland shares his insights as to what those three things are. Create a blog entry discussing each of the motivators identified in this video and discuss their impact on you; additionally identify 3 additional motivators that have a major impact on you.

            Andy Mulholland addresses a number of important aspects that lead to increased motivation in the workplace. The important reasons of why people work is imperative for managers, leaders and supervisors to understand as I also do not believe that money is a prime issue on why an individual continues to work for a specific organization or that it is a reason to continue to be motivated. As Andy Mulholland addresses in the video “Good HR is a cultivator of a good working attitude and a good working attitude is a cultivator of good leadership.” This statement is extremely important as our work behaviors and attitudes are affected by our bosses and work environment and job satisfaction is about much more than just your income.

            In this video Andy addresses the three things he feels individuals work for. Andy states that an individual should ask themselves what it is they want to achieve and then provide a balance between the things you feel are most important on why it is that you work. The three aspects of importance he discusses are listed below and discussed as to why I feel they are important for me personally and professionally. I then discuss my personal three choices on why it is that I work and the importance of those factors on my personal and professional life.

            Give me interesting work. I feel this is an extremely important aspect in the workplace as there are a number of jobs that I have held that can have a tendency of being boring, robotic or tedious. I think it is important for an individual to be challenged in the workplace to ensure that their skills are being put to use and that the work they are completing is of interest to them. I believe that providing a challenging work environment will continue to keep employees critical thinking skills at a high as they will be able to think outside the box more often than not and provide solutions and suggestions which can make positive changes in the work place. If an individual is not challenged enough, it is possible that their skill set can begin to decrease as their skills are not being put to use effectively and their thought processes may then become static in nature.

            Expand my skill set. I also believe this is a very important factor in increasing motivation in the workplace and ensuring an individual is happy. I think it is in many individuals' nature to want to succeed and be the best at what it is that they do. The only way to become more proficient in something or to be knowledgeable about a topic is to gain experience. It is important that individuals are provided with the experience necessary to not only do their jobs to the best of their abilities, but to also gain a variety of skills that will ensure success for many years to come in order to continue to advance in their careers. Professional development courses, training programs and a variety of other outlets may be used to assist an employee with enhancing their knowledge and gaining experience.

            Recognize me and Value me. I truly believe that this is the most important aspect of motivation and happiness mentioned by Andy. While I think it is important to be self motivated I truly believe that employees need to feel appreciated in the workplace. I think it is important for supervisors to show their team that they value the work they do and what they bring to an organization. While self motivation can help an individual strive to be the best, I think it is imperative for them to know that their teammates appreciate their efforts and that their supervisors understand the quality each individual brings to the team. A simple “great job today” would suffice for most individuals as it provides just enough recognition and value that they were recognized for their hard work and their accomplishments.

            Self  Motivation. Self motivation is one of the personal reasons I have listed as a motivator in my life. Self motivation allows me to not just work hard in my profession but it also allows me the opportunity to challenge myself to do things in my personal life that I never thought I would do. I use self motivation in my personal life to gain confidence in doing difficult or challenging things to ensure that when I am faced with certain obstacles either personally or professionally they seem to be a bit easier to do as I have already accomplished something I felt may have been too hard or scary at first. High school provided me with a lot of self motivation as I made the conscious choice at a young age to obtain my A&P licenses. Without self motivation I would have never been able to achieve obtaining my licenses and most likely would not be where I am today as those certifications led me to Embry-Riddle.

Sanity. I have chosen sanity as another motivator to work as I think it is important to balance your life with things that you enjoy. While going to work may not be fun every single day, it can be fun at times and it provides me with the ability to do other things that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do without it. For instance, as a recruiter, while traveling to the University shows may be exhausting and a bit long winded, I have had the chance to go to other states I have never been to and it has also given me the opportunity to meet and network with tons of people in the industry. Experiencing these shows and going to work provides me the sanity I need to get out into the world and maintain relationships I would have never had.

Personal and professional relationships. I think another motivator for work would be to maintain personal and professional relationships with the people you meet along the way. I would have to say that some of my very best friends, are individuals I have met at work. I can also say that some of the most talented, sweet, and special people in my life have also come into my life on a professional level first. Work allows individuals to interact and engage with each other and build amazing relationships that can sometimes last forever. There are so many people I have kept in touch with over the years that I had met even for a short period of time at a certain job I may have held. Professional relationships have also been gained at work as I have been able to network with many individuals and organizations. Relationships make the world go round and I truly believe that without them, we would live a very uneventful life.

Cassandra R.

A520.3.5RB Supportive Communication, ReyesCassandra

Create a blog posting describing how you can integrate supportive communication in your present position, utilize the guidelines detailed on page 165 and describe the expected outcomes that may result from your efforts.

I believe that supportive communication is absolutely necessary in a professional environment as many forms of communication need to be addressed in order to ensure success for a team or an organization as a whole. The following listed forms of communication are necessary to ensure that a team can gain success in their areas of concentration and that all departmental and managerial levels have an understanding of what I going on at all levels. The success of one team in an organization is usually the success of everyone, as everyone is connected in one aspect or another.

Congruent communication allows for the use of honest verbal statements that match the thought and feeling of the individual addressing the problem at hand. Congruent communication is important as all team member and levels of management should always have an open and honest relationship, so problems are addressed and not overlooked.

Descriptive communication allows individuals to describe an objective occurrence, your reaction to it and offering a suggested alternative. Descriptive communication is important as it allows for an issue to be addressed immediately, without having to “beat around the bush” of what the issue may be. It also allows for your reaction to the issue to be noted and a solution suggested so an overall picture of the issue is painted to allow for corrections.

Problem oriented communication allows for the problems and issue to be focused on, instead of the personalities or characteristics of people involved in the problem. This helps with ensuring that actual departmental issues are being addressed that will in the long run help with the outcome of the work that is being produced.

Validating communication allows people to focus on statements that communicate respect, flexibility, collaboration, and areas of agreement. Validating information is very important in a team setting as a team must be able to speak with each other and suggest ideas to the group that will be considered and respected. If the idea at hand cannot be used for any reason it is important that the idea is at least listened to and allowed to see if there is any flexibility to the suggestion at hand.

Specific communication is important in many areas as well in a department, as it allows departments to focus on specific events or behaviors and avoid general or extreme statements which may be false. I especially think that specific communication is necessary at the managerial level to ensure that a team understands what its supervisor is trying to address. If a manger uses general statements or extreme statements then the team may never get a clear picture of what it is they are trying to achieve.

Conjunctive communication allows teams and individuals to focus on statements that flow from what has been said previously and facilitate interaction. In my opinion this is especially important at a team level as team members tend to have many conversations without management around. My teammate and I have many conversations where we bounce ideas off of each other or look to each other to ensure we have the correct information on our policies and procedures. It is imperative that we listen to the information that we are telling each other so our statements can flow smoothly on what each of us has previously said so we can then take action on what it is we are trying to accomplish.

Owned communication focuses on taking responsibility for your own statements by using personal words such as “I” instead of “we.” I believe that this is key to a department as there are times when one individual may have to speak for the team as a whole. I think that taking responsibility for your own feelings and statements allows for the team as a whole to agree or disagree with what is being said so an overall comprehensive conclusion can stem from how each individual may feel about the topic at hand. I think it is very important to take ownership of both words and actions, as there may be consequences for a whole group if it is interpreted that everyone may feel a certain way about an issue.

Supportive listening focuses on using a variety of appropriate responses, with a bias toward reflective responses. I think supportive listening in an organization is one of the only ways for it to operate effectively. If everyone spoke and no one listened, no organization would be successful in what it was they were trying to achieve. I think that actively listening to someone takes time and effort to really understand what is being addressed so corrective actions can take place that will enforce positive changes in an organization. If supportive listening is ever overlooked then I think it can and will be a huge detriment to a team or organization.

I believe that use of all of these forms of communication can be used in a variety of ways in my current position. I strongly believe that my efforts in using these forms of communication would definitely help me with enhancing my critical thinking skills and professional skills in learning how to become a better leader and supervisor. I believe that the level of positive interpersonal relationships I currently hold will be enhanced just by strategically implementing the above listed forms of communication. I also think that fostering these interpersonal relationships can then lead to higher productivity, fewer conflicts, higher quality and faster problem solving. I strongly believe that implementing these forms of communication will not only help me as an individual but will also teach me how to interact at various levels of an organization and better prepare me for a role in upper level management which is where I hope to be one day.

A520.3.1RB Decsion Making_Reyes,Cassandra

In your blog, reflect upon the following questions:

1. What are a few words that describe your decision-making style?

After researching some decision making styles, I feel as though my style may be change from time to time, mostly based upon the situation at hand. If I had to choose I would say that my decision making style is a mix between a systematic style and procrastination style.

The systematic style of decision making identifies the issue and then evaluates every possible course of action. I must admit I use this decision making style even for the simplest of things, which I must also admit sometimes puts me at a loss because sometimes I may take too long to make a decision that can really be irrelevant at times. I have tried to open my eyes to realizing that if it is not a life changing decision, then maybe I can be a bit more intuitive in nature with the decisions that I’m making. However, when it comes to my family, personal life (such as my health), or my professional life, I would have to say that this style of decision making has truly allowed me to make some very good choices with the difficult decisions or scenarios that have been placed in front of me.  

            I feel as though systematic decision making allows for the freedom of challenging all of your resources in order to make an informed, knowledgeable decision, in which you will more likely feel comfortable making. I think my systematic approach to certain things, provides me with the comfort level that I sometimes need when making a decision to know that I have exhausted all of my resources and found an answer or solution that I feel would best fit the situation at hand.

            The procrastination style of decision making does not prove that people who use this strategy do not want to make the decisions they are faced with but involves delaying the decision making process until enough factors have been evaluated to make an informed decision or that enough time has gone by for the situation to stabilize itself. I feel as though there may be certain situations where procrastination would be a benefit in a choice of style for decision making as there are times when, what seems to be a problem at first, somehow works itself out in the end or the procrastination process allows you to see the full extent of the issue and what steps can be taken toward the problem that would cause positive changes to occur.

2.      What are the opposites of the words you chose?

I believe the opposites of the words that I chose in relation to decision making styles would be intuitive and individualistic. Intuitive decision making relates to the spontaneous nature of making decisions. Individuals who use this approach are usually comfortable with the “trial and error” or “hit or miss” approach. Individualistic decision making is when an individual evaluates the options of making a decision and bases their decision solely on what they feel is the best solution, without any input from others.

3. Could you see any benefits to making decision using an approach that is based on either the opposites or somewhere in-between and what outcomes would you expect to see?

Yes. I can definitely see benefits to decision making using an approach that is based on either the opposites or somewhere in between. I believe that the Intuitive approach may be used in certain scenarios where spontaneous nature is welcomed or the individual is comfortable with taking a chance. I would have to say that my husband tends to have this approach on a variety of things in our personal lives, while it trends to drive me a bit crazy, because I can be a bit anal when it comes to planning, he loves the idea of spontaneity and fully enjoying the “what if’s” of life. The Intuitive approach in instances like this have allowed me to loosen and take challenges both personally and professionally and have also taught me to learn how to be okay with an outcome that wasn’t necessarily planned.

Individualistic decision making is another decision making approach which allows someone to be in charge of what they feel the best decision would be. The best example I could give about this approach would be choosing a job which you feel would suit you best and where you would be happiest. My husband is currently applying to many aviation and aerospace related fields in which he hopes to pursue an engineering position where he would like to work on propulsion. He has started to receive a few phone calls on a few positions that he has applied for. There have been a variety of family members that have edged him on to take the first job that is offered to him; however he would also like to give himself some options. As he continues to weigh the pros and cons of the employment opportunities he is being offered, I keep reminding him that while he does takes opinions into consideration, I truly believe that this is a decision that he should make on his own. I remind him that he is the one who will have to wake up every morning to go to work and he is the one who would like to love his job. I remind him that any decision that he makes I will support him, however I think he must choose which position he feels would be best for him in the long run. I think in this scenario an individualistic approach is best as he is the only one who knows what will truly make him happy in the end. In my opinion I would rather get paid much less and be happy and content with my job, than get paid tons of money and dread going to work everyday.

A520 2.6 RB Time Management, Reyes, Cassandra

 Prepare a Blogger entry by reflecting on the following:

1. Assess your time management skills.
2. Evaluate how these skills have increased your locus of control.
3. Identify three new areas in which improved time management skills would reduce stress.
4. Add an action plan to integrate these to your daily routine.

I believe my time management skills are very good and have grown a great deal over the years. It seems as though every time I hold a new position in an organization, I learn more and more ways of implementing new strategies where I am able to use my time management skills and enhance the creativity and effectiveness behind them. I believe that as time goes on and the more and more responsibility that is placed on me in both my professional and personal life, will allow me to engage my thought processes behind the efficiency of my time management, how it relates to my current skills and how I can further assess them for future success in managing my time.

I believe that evaluating my time management skills has allowed me the opportunity to increase my locus of control by understanding where I lie within it. I feel as though when I was younger I began with an external loci of control. For example, if I did poorly on a test, I felt as though the test questions were too hard, and if I performed well on a test, the test was easy or that I was lucky in the grade that I received. Now that I am older I feel as though I have a more internal locus of control which allows me to believe that me performance has more to do with how much work I put into something. My internal locus of control allows me to understand where I lie with my time management skills and leaves me responsible for my success or failures of how effective my time management will be in various situations.

The first area I feel in which time management would reduce stress would be at work. There are a variety of policies and procedures I have to follow at work. On top of that there are a variety of responsibilities that I hold both as a team member of my team and as an individual. I have a variety of to do lists that I use as well as systems such as Evernote and Skydrive which allow me and my team to stay focused and on track with where we are in the day.

The second area I fell time management would reduce stress would be in my personal life with my husband. My husband and I tend to have very opposite schedules where one of us is home while the other is out. I believe it is necessary to get this schedule under control as there are many things we must get done in our personal lives that are sometimes, missed, overlooked, or completely forgotten about as we hold these very different schedules. Time management in this area would greatly reduce stress.

Lastly, I believe that time management is going to be a huge factor for when my baby is born. My whole world is going got turn upside down and I am going to have to learn how to care for a child, as well as work, as well as take my online courses, as well as do the day to day stuff a wife does in the household. My time management skills here are probably going to be the most important, as it will affect me and a variety of other people the most.

I believe that continuing to use Evernote and Skydrive will help me to continue to be successful. I also use a calendar to ensure things are getting done on time and when they are supposed to. I also use a number of apps in my phone to ensure that I am on schedule with the things it is I need to do. I also sometimes purposely leave notes for myself either at work or at home so I know I have something coming up that I know I cannot miss. I believe that using all of these resources and continuing to find other resources that are helpful, will assist me with my time management skills and allow me to be successful with mastering the skills that are going to be necessary to make it through both my professional and personal life.

A520 2.3RB Conflict Resolution, Reyes, Cassandra

Use your blog to describe an example of a successful conflict resolution that you have either witnessed or participated in.

• What was the conflict?
• What role did you play?
• Who were the other participants in the negotiation?
• What was the result?

Can you see any room for improvement to how the conflict was handled.

There have been a few occasions where I have experienced a role conflict in my place of business. The one that comes to mind happened with a co worker at a position I held in an organization I was at for a quite some time. The conflict occurred one day when I was called into a meeting with the director of my department and the manager of another. During this meeting, I was informed of a new policy that was set into place by another department that affected my team directly with the way we processed some of our information. I was informed of the information directly from both the manager and director and was told to pass the information along to my team members. Once the policy and its procedures were explained to me and I had an understanding of what was going on and what we had to do, I walked over to my department and informed my teammate of the changes that were taking place.

While the teammate, at first listened to what I had to say, when I was done explaining everything, he nonchalantly said “ok whatever works.” It seemed as though he didn’t care about the information I was providing to him, so I asked if he understood everything and was comfortable with the new process. He then stated to me, “I’ll just wait for John to come and tell me what the actual process is and take it from there.” I was immediately taken aback as to the condescending attitude he seemed to have toward my knowledge about the new policy and the faith he had in me training him on the new way of doing things. In the past he had treated me this way before, but not to such an extent.

I re informed my teammate that I had just come out of the meeting with the director and manager, was informed of the new policy and procedures and was told to pass the information along to him and my other teammate. For some reason he didn’t seem to buy what I was telling him and answered in a sarcastic tone “I’ll just wait for John to get back so I can ask him directly and see what he says.” I have to admit; at this point I was livid. In order to refrain myself from being disrespectful back, I said “Ok, no problem.” When my director came back to his office, he asked my teammate, if he had heard the news on the new policy and if I had informed him of the new information. My teammate then said “She touched upon it but, if possible would you explain it a little more in depth for me please?” I immediately felt the steam rise from the head as my director started re explaining the process almost exactly the way I had already explained it to my co worker.

As my director finished explaining the new policy and procedures, my co worker seemed to have some difficulty in understanding why the procedure was being changed and why we “just couldn’t continue doing it the way we had before”. He also clearly did not understand the new process and how to go about the new procedure. As my director didn’t perform the “day to day” work of the department, and I was the veteran counselor on the team, I was instructed to show my teammate how to go about the new process. As I tried to explain the process to my teammate he seemed to gain the same condescending manner with me that he clearly did not have with my director.

To make a long story short, this went on for some time and my co worker continued to challenge me on the topic at hand and clearly did not respect me as a teammate. Toward the end of the conversation which continued past 5:00 on this particular day because he just did not seem to want to give in, my co worker stated to me “It just doesn’t make sense why we even have to do this and why you have to be the one to tell me.” Now I had, had enough. I respected my co worker and had enough patience up until this point. But it was clear I had reached my breaking point. The minute he said this I started to collect my belongings so I could go home. As I gathered my things I said to him just as rudely as he had spoken to me. “If that’s how you feel, then do whatever it is that you want. At this point I could care less.” I then walked out of the office and drove home both ticked off at the way I was treated yet happy that I had stood up for myself.

Once I got home and the anger started to slowly dissipate, I realized that my actions were probably not the best that I should have taken in this particular situation, however I couldn’t help but feel at the same time, that it was absolutely necessary to react in a manner that informed my teammate that it was not okay to treat me the way he had and it would not be tolerated on my behalf. The end result wasn’t a good one as my teammate and I pretty much stood away from each other as much as we possibly could after that. It was clear we didn’t want anything to do with one another for quite some time. All in all, it truly had a great effect on our professional relationship and the way we interacted on a daily basis.

There is one main area of improvement I would have liked to see handled differently. The next morning, I had walked into my director’s office and apologized for the way that I had reacted as I knew it was out of character for me. My director asked me to express my frustrations and discuss what I felt went wrong the prior afternoon. During our discussion, my director expressed that he had seen the dynamic that was going on between myself and my co worker and noticed the way that my teammate was speaking to me. Interestingly enough he stated that I handled myself quite well for someone in that particular situation and that if I felt the need to defend myself that I should, and to not let anyone degrade me in such a manner. I was confused by this as I didn’t realize that he had even noticed the way I was being spoken to.

After our meeting ended, I was happy on how well my director perceived my actions, but then became angry as to why nothing was said to my teammate, if it was clear on the way I was being treated. I never said anything about this, as I truly wanted the whole scenario to just go away, however I truly think it would have been nice to have had my director handle the situation in a manner where my team member and I could have come to a better resolution considering everything happened in front of my supervisor. I believe if our actions would have been addressed, instead of overlooked, the team dynamic could have possibly had a better end result than having just completely dissipated the way it did.